Barack Obama has attempted in his campaign to change what he calls the old politics that America has become accustomed to over the last number of years. Obama's "new politics" tries to avoid the personal attacks, tries to make his campaign about issues that are meaningful to America, tries to be reasonable in his communications, and tries to speak honestly and openly about the problems facing America, as he did in his speech about race.

Even though Bush Doctrine supporters and the usual neo-con loving media mouthpieces continue to insist that George and Dick have kept America safe, conveniently, AFTER 9-11.....reality demonstrates such fabrication as just another lie from the most untruthful groups ever to occupy the White House and place a telepromter reader in a teevee anchor chair.

Some interesting fish wrap found in one of this week's Beacon commentary sections. This fish wrap was authored by that bowtied bruiser of brilliance, George Will. George, always the condescending little pr*ck with a wide vocabulary, decided to write a column telling us liberals how uncharitable we are. Reporting on a book he has read, "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism" by Arthur Brooks, the bowtied bore recites the charitable giving numbers according to conservative or liberal persuasion and then states that the numbers mean that conservatives really are compassionate....more compassionate than progressives. The reason for such a conclusion?

The neo-conservative cult that has placed a stranglehold on America's foreign policy affairs is a relatively recent phenomenon. Bush the Elder and pre-pacemaker Dick Cheney, had both previously rejected the idea of regime change and a U.S. military occupation of Iraq during the 90's. Since that time and with the opportunity of 9-11, neo-conservatives, new conservatives led by such luminaries as Bill Kristol and Richard Perle, have pushed to mainstream the radical, extremist foreign policy philosophies that have resulted in the current quagmire situation in Iraq. The thinking once regarded as foolish and dangerous military adventurism has now, under the presidency of Bush/Cheney, been mainstreamed. In just 7 short years pre-emptive wars of choice and American occupied middle eastern territories has, somehow, become the accepted foreign policy norm.

Pat Buchanan, a former Republican presidential candidate currently working as a talking head for MSNBC teevee, is an intelligent and knowledgeable white man. He knows history, he knows how the political and governmental systems of America work. He brings insights to teevee news programs. In addition to all these strengths, Buchanan seems to be a likeable guy with a sense of humor.

Barack Obama gave three important speeches this week. Only one of them was covered by the main media. Obama's speech about race was the only speech the main media was interested in repeating, analyzing, parsing and dissecting this week. Obama's Iraq and economy speeches received skant attention. That fact, in itself, is interesting and speaks directly to the media's interest in helping out John McCain.....but that's a topic for a later post.

All day Friday and, I expect, continuing all through the Easter weekend, overwhelmingly white media just couldn't ask enough questions about Obama's white grandmother comments. Those brave and concerned members of overwhelmingly white media simply had to get to the bottom of what Obama meant when he talked about his grandmother's fears and reactions concerning race.

In a review of the last 20 years of American media personalities no one stands out as being more politically influential then Rush Limbaugh. Mr. Limbaugh daily takes on the rage of the disgruntled white American male, and through an odd vicarious exchange, channels that rage where Rush and his white male listeners believe it deservedly belongs......at the feet of progressives and Democrats.

My father, now deceased, used to listen to the AM radio personality when he first started. My father usually voted Democratic because Democrats were for the working man and unions, but he was an extremely conservative Democratic voter. He gave Limbaugh a listen. At first, my father seemed to agree with the radio talk show host on many issues. A couple years later he quit listening altogether.

It has been suggested by my commenter friend, larry, as well as many others, that Barack Obama threw his white grandmother, figuratively, under the bus yesterday during his speech focusing on race relations in the U.S. I am of a different opinion and I want to explain why.

First: Barack Obama had to denounce, eschew, condemn, criticize, disapprove, censure, decry....AND.....AND.....reject the explosive words of his former pastor, now retired, Jeremiah Wright. To not do so would have marked the beginning of a Drudge and Limbaugh led establishment-right media clusterf*ck attempt to oust him from the presidential race. Obama has renounced and..and..and.....and the usual suck-job cretins are still calling for his political head.

So first.....Obama absolutely HAD to toss Wright to the curb over his ex-pastor's rhetoric.

The issue of Iraq will be front and center in the general election, that is, if we ever get to the general election. With Son of Surge, John McCain, as the GOP presidential nominee, we will undoubtedly here how great the surge has been working. The surge which McCain was FOR before anyone else. The same surge which McCain gets angry about in an instant, if it's success is doubted, as he's demonstrated often in Republican debates.

Here's the Pristine General Petraeus, himself. The flawless military strategist, whose testimony last October was scribed into Bible-like Holy Military Books and credited to be divinely inspired,.........is talking again, and this time.....John McCain might not like the words.

Perhaps it was Bush's scorched earth foreign policy that compelled him to sing his version of a song he called, " The Brown, brown grass of home", at the Knee Pad Gridiron Bash the other night. Maybe it all came about simply because George W. and The Dick are, most assuredly, the two biggest cynical pr*cks ever to occupy the executive branch.

Far right pundits and extremism right radio nuts cycle so many phony stories that the phony stories, themselves, become like the Undead. Just can't kill 'em. Facts are driven through the hearts of these phony stories but they keep coming back, all zombie like.

"I don't want to disparage anyone because of their race, their ethnicity, their name - whatever their religion their father might have been," he said. "I'll just say this: When you think about the option of a Barack Obama potentially getting elected President of the United States -- I mean, what does this look like to the rest of the world? What does it look like to the world of Islam?"

Hillary Clinton enjoyed a good night last night. She won Ohio by 10% and Texas by 4%, even though the delegate differential, currently favoring Obama, didn't change much at all.

The sad part of last night is the implication, quickly to be fleshed out by the usual Knee Pad suspects, that going negative, getting down and dirty, was the reason Clinton won these two large state primaries.

This picture appears to portray Iraqi prisoners being treated with cruelty by their American captors. It only appears that way. Our president has told us repeatedly that America does not torture or commit acts of savage cruelty. So whatever is going on in the above picture, don't call it torture or savagery. Most likely it's a middle eastern version of our beloved "Smear the Queer." Muslim men kicking back and having some enhanced fun.

Bill Donohue, Catholic League president, is not one of my favorite people. To say the least, he is offensive in his style of communication. The Reverend, as I'm sure you realize by now, never condones offensive styles of communication.